Railway safety system.



H. W. McNAUGHT.

RAILWAY SAFETY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. 1913.

1, 1 34,2785 Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

fwd/1,44 v 73 HARRY W. MCNAUGHT, 0E INDIANAPOLES, INDIANA.

RAILWAY SAFETY SYSTEM.

Application filed April 3, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY W. MoNAneH'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Railway Safety System, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to stop a car or train automatically in case the motorman or engineer over-runs a danger signal; and, further, to allow him to pass a danger signal provided he does so at less than a predetermined speed.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a member biased in one direction but held against movement in that direction by a pair of latches, one of which is released when the speed of the car or train exceeds a certain value and the other when an obstruction is encountered by a shoe carried by the car or train. When said member is released, it moves at a predetermined speed to cause both the application of the brakes and the shutting oil of the power, or either, the shutting off of the power conveniently being accomplished by the admission of air pressure to a cylinder in which a piston is connected to the power-controlling lever. If such lever has a locking pawl, I provide a small cylinder and piston communicating with the first cylinder and piston for releasin said locking pawl.

he single figure of the accompanying drawing illustrates my invention semi-diagrammatically.

The car or train, of which but one wheel 10 is shown, is mounted to run on the tracks 11 in the usual manner, and at various points along the track there may be ar ranged semaphores or other signals 12 operated in any suitable manner, as through the connecting rod 13. Between or near the track rails 11, and at a suit- -able point relative to the semaphore 12,

is a track shoe 15, connected by a pair of links 16 and levers 17 to a rod 18 connected through a lever 19 and link 20 to the same operating rod which controls the semaphore. Thus when the semaphore is moved, the track shoe 15 is also moved, this latter movement conveniently being vertical and the track shoe being raised when the semaphore Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr, 6, 1915.

Serial no. 758,591.

is moved to danger position. The track shoe 15 is guided in its vertical movement by a pair of pins 21 shdalo'le in a suitable frame 22,- and the links 16 and 17 are so arrahged that they are cramped when the track shoe 1S raised.

The car or train (conveniently the motorman or engineer) carries a car shoe 25, the stem 26 of which is vertically movable in a guide frame 27. The stem 26 is connected to a latch lever 28, which normally engages a rod 29 to hold said rod against movement to the right. The rod 29 is biased to the right by a spring 30, conveniently mounted in a cylinder 31, the rod :29 being provided with a piston head 32 fitting in said cylinder and serving with the latter to form a dash-pot to retard the movement of the rod 29 to the right. The amount of retardation is controllable by a pet cook 33.

A suitably mounted shaft 35is driven at a proportional speed with the wheel 10, as-

by being connected thereto by a belt 36 pass ing over the car axle 37 on which the wheel 10 is mounted and over a pulley 38 on the shaft 35. An annulus 39 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 35, and engages a finger l0 carried by a sleeve d1 slidable along the shaft. ietween flanges 42 on this sleeve 41. is a fork 43 on the end of a latch rod 4:4: pressed by a spring 45 into the path of a lug 46 on the rod 29, to prevent said rod from being moved to the right by the spring 30. \Vhen the speed of the car or train increases, the resultant increase in centrifugal force in the annulus 39 tends to move the latter into a plane more nearly at right angles to the shaft 35, such movement, when sufiicient, releasing the lug :6 from the latch rod 44-. i

The rod 29 is connected by a link 50, a bell-crank le er 51, and links 52 to valves 53 and 54, both of which are normally closed. The valve 53 controls the air brakes, in the automatic air brake system connecting the air brake line to the atmosphere and in the straight air brake system connecting the air brake line to a source of air pressure Thus when the valve 53 is opened a setting of the brakes is obtained. The valve 54 when opened connects an air tank 55 to a cylinder 56, within which is a piston 57 having a piston rod 58 con nected to the power-controlling lever 59.

The cylinder 56 may be pivotally mounted to take care of theside play due to the connection of the piston rod 58 to the powercontrolling lever 59, in which case the air connection to the cylinder may be by a flexible pipe 56. The power-controlling lever 59 may be provided with locking pawl 60 cooperating with a notched. segment 61 but releasable therefrom by the lever 62 when the handle 63 of the power-controllinglever 59 is grasped by the operator. The piston 64 of a small cylinder 65 carried by the piston rod 58 is suitably connected to the looking pawl 60, the cylinder 65 being connected to the cylinder 56 by a longitudinal opening 66 in the piston rod 58. The cylinder 56 is provided with a pet cock 67, whereby the movement of the piston 57 to the rightmay be cont'rollably retarded. It is also provided on the left-hand side of the piston 57 with a valve 68, which is normally open to allow the free reciprocation of the powereontrolling lever 59 by hand but which closes automatically when air pressure from the tank 554is admitted into the cylinder 56, the valve 68 beingvbiased to open position, as by gravity, sufficiently stronglyso that it is not closed by the pressure produced in the cylinder 56 by the manual operation of the piston 57 In operation, the setting of the semaphore 12 to danger-position raises the track shoe 15. If a car or train passes the semaphore 12, the car shoe 25 is lifted by the track shoe 15 and the rod 29 is thereby released from the latch lever 28. If at this time the car or train is exceeding a predetermined speed, so that by the action of centrifugal. force on the annulus 29 the lug 46 is released from the latch rod M, the unlatehing of the latch lever28 allows the spring 30 to move the rod 29 to theright, opening the valves 53 and 54. The opening of the valve 53 causes the application of the air brakes. The opening of the valve 54 admits pressure into the cylinder 56, which pressure immediately closes the valve 68. The air pressure from the cylinder 56 passes through the opening 66 into the cylinder 65, and by its action on the piston 64 withdraws the lock ing pawl 60 from the notched segment 61, whereupon the pressure within the cylinder 56, moves the piston 57, and through it the power-controlling lever 59, to the right to shut oil the power. The shutting off of the power and the application of the brakes bring the car or train quickly to a stop. If the car or train is not exceeding a predetermined speed when the car shoe 25 engages the track shoe 15, the latch rod 44 by its engagement with the lug 46 prevents the unlatching of the latch lever 28 from,

causing a movement of the rod 29 to the right, with its resultant setting of the brakes and shutting oil of the power. ji ter the rod 29 has been moved to the right, and the car or train brought to a stop, the motorman'or engineer, by turning a handle 70 and thereby rotating a pinion 71 which meshes with rack teeth on the rod 29, may move said rod to the left to close the valves 53 and 54 and allow its relatching in its left hand position by the latch rod is and the latch lever 28. The handle 70 may be located in such a place that it requires the motorman or engineer to dismount from the car or train to operate it.

By omitting the latch lever 28 and its operating mechanism, the device may be used merely to prevent excessive speeds of the car or train. By omitting the latch rod l4 and its operating mechanism, the device may be used for stopping the car or train when it passes a danger signal, regardless of its speed.

If desired, either valve 53 or 54: may be i omitted, in case it is desired that the device control either only the power or only the brakes.

I claim as my invention:

, 1. A safety device for track-traveling vehicles, comprising a member carried by the vehicle and biased in one direction, a pair of latches restrainingit against movement in such direction, one of said latches being released when the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed and the other being releasable by a controlling device along the track, and means operated by the movement of such member in the direction in which it is biased for causing the application of the brakes and the shutting off-of the driving power.

2. A safety device for track-traveling vehicles, comprising a member carried by.

the vehicle and biased in onev direction, a pair of latches restraining it against movementv in such direction. (IIH of said latches being released when the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed and the other being releasable by a controlling device along the track, and means operated by the movement of SLCll member in the direction in which it is biased for causing the application of the brakes.

in a track-traveling vehicle, the combination of a power-controlling lover, a looking pawl for holding it in desired position, a cylinder and piston connected to said power controlling lever so that relative movement between them actuates said lever, a second cylinder and piston associated with locking pawl so that relative movement between them releases said pawl, said two cylinders being interconnected, and means controlled by the passage of the vehicle-past a controlling device arranged along the track and by the speed of the vehicle for producing a difference in the pressures in each of said cylinders on opposite sides of I piston therein.

5., In a track-traveling vehicle, the combination of a power'controlling lever, a lockpawl for holding it in desired position,- a cylinder and. piston connected to said powercontrolling lever so that relative movement between them actuates said lever,a second cylinder and piston associated with said locking pawhso that relative movement between them releases said'pawl, said two cylinders being interconnected, and means controlled by the speed of the vehicle for producing a difference in the pressures in each of said cylinders on opposite sides of the piston therein.

6. In a track-traveling vehicle, the combirtiGii of a power-controlling lever, a lock- 1H0 pawl for holding it in desired position, a cylinder and piston connected to said powercont rolling lever so that relative movement between them actuates said lever, a second. cylinder and piston associated with said locking pawl so that relative movement between them releases said pawl, said two cylinders being interconnected, and means controlled by the passage of the vehicle past a controlling device arranged along the track fol. producing a difference in the pressures in each of said cylinders on opposite sides of the piston therein.

7. In a track-traveling vehicle, the combination of a power-controlling lever, a locking pawl for holding it in desired position, a cylinder and piston connected to said powercontrolling lever so that relative movement between them actuates said lever, a second cylinder and piston associated with said locking pawl so that relative movement between them releases said pawl, said two cylinders being interconnected, means controlled by the passage of the vehicle past a controlling device arranged along the track and by the speed of the vehicle for producing a di'll'erence in the pressures in each of said cylinders on opposite sides of the piston therein, and a valve associated with said tween them releases said pawl, said two cylinders being interconnected, means controlled by the speed of the vehicle for producing a difference in the pressures in each of said cylinders on opposite sides of the piston therein, and a valve associated with said first cylinder and. normally open to prevent such cylinder and its piston from inter- 'fering with the free manual operation of the power-controlling lever, said valve being automatically closed upon the operation of said last-named means.

9. in a traclotraveling vehicle, the combination of a power-controlling lever, a looking pawl for holding it in desired position, a cylinder and piston connected to said powercontrolling lever so that relative movement between them actuates said lever, a second cylinder and piston associated with said locking pawl so that relative movement between them releases said pawl, said two cylinders being interconnected, means controlled by the passage of the vehicle past a controlling device arranged along the track for producing a difference in the pressures in each of said cylinders on opposite sides of the piston therein, and a valve associated with said first cylinder and normally open to prevent such cylinder and its piston from interfering with the free manual operation of the power-controlling lever, said valve being automatically closed upon the operation of said last-named means.

10. A safety device for track-traveling vehicles, comprising a member carried by the vehicle and biased in one direction, a pair of latches restraining it against move ment in such direction, one of said latches being released when thefvehicle exceeds a predetermined speed and the other being releasable by a controlling device along the track, and means operated by the movement of such member in the direction in which it is biased for causing a reduction in the speed of the track-traveling vehicle.

11. A safety device for track-traveling vehicles, comprising a member carried by the vehicle and biased in one direction, and a pair of latches restraining it against move & 1,134,278

ment in such direction, one of said latches eenth day of March, A. D. one thousand being released when the vehicle exceeds a nine hundred and thirteen.

predetermined speed and the other being releasable by a controlling device along the HARRY MCNAUGHT' track Witnesses:

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set JOSEPHINE GAsPER,

my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana,this eightv Gr. B. SGHLEY. 

